@80more, starter call.
the ranch was quiet, quieter than it had been in a long time. the thought trickled through him like a cold ravine, chilling his core and making him fret. the people were scared. his people. and he no longer knew a word to say in order to comfort them and make things right. [thoughts of initiative flooded him, wonderment regarding to whom the crown fit: it was a moment for him to step up, and yet he can't help but feel their confidence wane the moment he opens his mouth.] it declines with each word, each choice, never a satisfactory response to the hard decisions he made for their own preservation. there would always be happy and unhappy people within their community, but as of late he finds himself faced with the latter far more than what was ordinary. jake frowns, casting a gaze over the ranch, shrouded in darkness and momentary peace. it could all change in an instance.
“building a better future, that's what this place has been about from the start.” voice is tinged with sadness, difficult to detect with the conviction that always comes with jake's words: he was always resolute, leadership a borne trope that drifts further from his reach with each day passed. [people joked that jake had an answer for everything. he did, wordless moments few and far between, especially in times so trying of his patience. there was nothing that couldn't be settled with a conversation.] but lately, his hopes were knocked, the speeches that always seemed so effortless slowed to a halt and he no longer had it in him to be their beacon. it just felt hard. “it feels like we stray further from that every day.”
